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The CrossFit Open is the first step of the CrossFit Games. Anyone and everyone worldwide can compete in the Open. The top athletes of the Open move on to Regionals, and the top Regionals athletes move on to the Games. During the 5-week Open, a new workout is released every Thursday night. Each Open competitor has until 5pm Monday to perform the workout and post their score. Then they can then see their ranking in the world, the region, the state, the city, and even inside their own gym. Think of it as everyone in the world belonging to the same Crossfit gym for 1 day a week and instead of recording your score on the whiteboard you do it on the CrossFit Games Website.

Where do I do the workouts?

At both CrossFit RE and SODO CrossFit we will be doing the Open workouts on Fridays as a replacement for regular programming.

At SODO, the morning and 12:15 classes will be doing the workouts during normal class times and the evening classes will be sectioned off in heats that you will sign up for.

At RE, the Morning and noon class will be doing the workout during their normal class time and the evening classes will be sectioned off in heats that you will sign up for.

We are also encouraging everyone to come by Friday nights to hang out, be a judge, and cheer everyone on. The gyms will have a bit of a “party” feel on those nights.

What are the workouts?

No one knows until they release them at 5pm on Thursdays on the games.crossfit.com website. You can poke around and look at workouts from previous years. And take note of the programming recently… you’ve probably done at least a couple Open workouts in the past couple weeks!

What if I can’t do a movement?

This should not stop you from trying, you will be surprised what your body can do! Also, various versions of each workout are posted (scaled, masters, and teens) that include scaled movements and weights.

Yes. And you’ll want to, because this is one of the best ways to track progress year to year. The $20 fee really goes to pay for the score tracking so you can access it year after year to see your improvement.

What if I know I’m going to do terrible or I don’t think I’m ready.

This is the exact reason to do it!! Because next year you will be better and you will want to see your improvement. This has less to do with where you are right now, and where you will be in a year. It’s always fun to see your results. But if you don’t take a snapshot where you are today you won’t have anything to compare it to next year. Also, there’s always a chance you’ll blow your own mind and surprise yourself during these workouts.. it happens every year. 🙂

What if I miss a workout? On vacation.

You should still do it! Even if you only get to track a few workouts that is better than nothing. Also it’s always fun to drop into a local CrossFit gym/box when you are traveling during the Open.

What if I’m not competitive?

This has nothing to do with being competitive It has everything to do with being a part of the community, tracking your results, and having fun. Being competitive is a bonus but not the reason to sign up.

When do I do the workouts?

We will be doing them on Friday at both gyms.

At SODO, the morning and 12:15 classes will be doing the workouts during normal class times and the evening classes will be sectioned off in heats that you will sign up for.

At RE, the Morning and noon class will be doing the workout during their normal class time and the evening classes will be sectioned off in heats that you will sign up for.

We will upload the heat sign-up sheet every Thursday night to the Facebook Private group after the workout is released.

What if I can’t come on Friday?

You can make up the Open workout during Open Gym times over the weekend or on Monday, but you will need to plan to have your own judge, or set up a camera to film yourself doing it. Nobody will be allowed to do the open workouts during any normal class time on Saturday or Monday, Only at open gym times. Our classes are simply too big to accommodate this this year.

What if I want to do the workout 2 or 3 times? (yes..this is a thing)

Once again, we are not running the workout more than just on Friday. If you want to do it any other time you will have to coordinate with a coach during off times to come in and open the gym for you (if it works for them, and you properly bribe them of course… they are NOT required to do so). Or, again, do it during Open Gym time on the weekends. Anything else I need to know?Have you ever been to a summer camp or a place where you were doing the same thing with a group of people for a week or more? The bonding that happened over that week though trials, and challenges and getting to see people in their realest state. That is exactly what happens during the Open, it’s one of the best ways that we build community and come together. And let’s be honest in this day in age, this is one of those moments in your life that you don’t get enough of. LET’S GO!

I wrote this blog post three times, but I am glad I did because now I’m sure I’m giving you my best version. This blog post is very much a “Where are they now?” type of post. If you haven’t read my life story — how I grew up fat and how I changed my life — you should go here and read it. Someone much smarter than me once said, “If you don’t tell people your story they will make one up about you and that will be the truth until you change it.” So please allow me to change the narrative that’s likely in your head about my journey to becoming a CrossFit gym owner.

Yes, I own and operate two CrossFit gyms in South Seattle. Knowing that, you probably have a picture of what I look like in your head (maybe something like this?). Nope! Here is what it looks like for me. You can see in this picture that I am not the greek god you were expecting. The truth of the matter is, I am still very much on a journey to improve my own health and fitness. I also don’t think that the way I look tells 100% of the story, and I don’t know if it ever will. This doesn’t tell the “before” and it doesn’t even fully tell the “now.” I am strong and in good shape, but I know that I could clean up my diet and be a little more diligent in the gym … Yes, even gym owners find it hard to workout sometimes.

My biggest goal this year was to take a look at my story from the beginning (well, not the very beginning… let’s say young adulthood) to the present and figure out how to connect those two dots. How did I make the 180-degree turn from being a 300-pound bartender to completely centering my life around a sport? More importantly, how can I create a similar transformation for you? If you told me to try CrossFit at 300 pounds, I would have laughed at you, and I would have also thought you were part of a cult (yes I am completely aware of how we “CrossFitters” sound). My journey didn’t start with CrossFit. It started with me buying shoes at Costco and trying to run to the end of my block and back (and failing). And also getting all my nutrition advice from Mens Health Magazine.

I need my business to reflect my story, but not because I am chiseled and lean and my transformation story is soooooo inspirational. I need it to reflect my story because it is real, and because it is a journey that I will be on for the rest of my life. Just like my body and what it is capable of, I want my business to reflect who I am and where I’m at today and where I want to be in the future. The two narratives you hear in health and fitness are either “get shredded in 10 days” or “no quick fix … you just have to grind it out the rest of your life.” I have to admit … both of those are true. The fact is, you are going to hit so many goals on your journey. The journey itself is grinding it out, and the small goals you hit along the way are the “getting shredded in 10 days.” Now I am not saying I can get you shredded in 10 days … but I can get you to end of your block and back in 10 days. 😉

In December of last year I started writing down everything I did to change my life. All the fad diets that worked and the ones that didn’t. I also started looking at what I know now and what is the best way I could help more people with my story and journey. I needed to create a “run to the end of the block” program to help those just getting started. I also wanted to increase my reach by connecting with people over the internet to help them with nutrition. So I started writing my perfect nutrition plan. One that combines five of the most important rules about food that allow you to eat any foods or follow any “diet” (vegetarian, paleo, whatever) and reach your goals, while being flexible enough to prevent you from obsessing about food. I also needed to make programs that get out of the four walls of a gym and into your daily routine… meaning you can do them in your office OR your living room, at 2 a.m. or 9 p.m. or anywhere in between. The entire program is me: it’s my journey, and it takes you through step-by-step what I went through. The best part is that I get to be there helping you as we go through it together. Yes… I am still on it, and I want everyone to come along with me.

Do you get healthy before you go to the doctor? Do you eat a sandwich before you go out for dinner? Do you change your oil before you take your car in for a tune-up? I’m sure you know what I’m getting at. I get it, though. You think you need to be in shape before you start CrossFit. You’ve seen CrossFit on ESPN or you look at your friends or coworkers who do CrossFit and you think, “I could never do that.” You think you have to have a certain level of fitness before you start doing CrossFit because you are scared of being slow or sore or getting injured or [fill in the blank]. You are not alone.

The first time I ever heard the words “CrossFit,” I was told with a scoff by a gym owner that I was “not ready for it.” Of course the words my insecure mind and 30-pounds-overweight body heard were, “you are too fat for CrossFit”. My wife and I were both shocked and a little pissed, and to be honest, the sting lasted a long time. Fast forward 7 years and here I am as a CrossFit affiliate owner, hoping desperately to change the culture around CrossFit to prove that anyone can do it. Of course, you have to be willing to show up, and you have to be willing to sweat, but that’s IT! Still don’t believe me? Meet my mom, Donna:

My mom back squatting

My mom had hip replacement surgery three months ago and has been coming to CrossFit RE for the last six weeks. Yes, you read that right: six weeks after her hip replacement surgery she started CrossFit (and before that I had seen her exercise maaaaybe a half dozen times in my life). And now you’re probably thinking that sounds crazy and irresponsible and how could a son do that do his mother?! The reason is because ANYONE can do this stuff. Seriously, anyone. In fact, you already are, you just don’t call it CrossFit. You call it sitting down and standing up instead of “squats”; you call it putting a bag in the overhead compartment of a plane instead of a “push press”; you call it picking up a laundry basket instead of a “deadlift”; you call it playing with your kids or gardening or mowing the lawn. These are all movements we imitate in a CrossFit class — they are just called different things. The bonus is that unlike real life, a CrossFit class provides coaches who watch how your body moves, helping you be safe and efficient so you can improve.

Still feel like you have to “get in shape” before you try CrossFit? We can tell you dozens of stories to convince you otherwise: stories of those who show up on the first day 10, 20, or 200 pounds overweight; those who are suffering from depression or hating their bodies; those who get winded and sweaty when they have to climb the stairs at work; those who have low confidence and don’t think they deserve a successful, happy life; those who are battling a disease or who are just plain sick and tired of being sick and tired. In fact, you can read some of their stories on our website or reviews on our Google+ page. After you read a story to two, ask yourself whether it’s your turn to be an inspiration for someone else

One undercurrent of all these stories is that change happened because of CrossFit, not before it. It takes becoming part of a CrossFit community for someone to realize that it’s ok to not be perfect (or even to be really, really bad) at something. In fact, life is a lot more fun if you try stuff you’re terrible at — it will give you a reason to set goals and test yourself so you can experience new things. At CrossFit RE and SODO CrossFit, we are a group of people who suck at a lot of things, but enjoy getting better at them together. Let us prove it to you at our Community Day event on May 2. It’s a FREE workout for everyone, including kids. It’s a workout that we can scale to any level (yes, even if you had hip replacement surgery a couple months ago) and there will be free coffee and a chance to hang out and meet some people afterwards. Bring a friend or family member and get ready to kick off your weekend feeling great about what your body can do! Sign up below so we can make sure to have enough coaches and coffee ready. 🙂

Have you ever knowingly entered a competition you knew you would never win? I have and I’ll tell you something, looking back at all the times I didn’t win has made more of a difference in my life than all the times I entered a competition knowing I had an advantage and could win. First off, winning and losing is not the point of competition. I used to run triathlons and I never entered thinking I could win them. My best Olympic-distance triathlon time was in a race where I came in 60th overall. That made me want to train harder for the next one. My first (and only) half Ironman was awful; I cramped up and barely finished. That made me want to get stronger. The one time I actually won a triathlon, it kind of felt like I had mastered it and from that point on I lost my excitement for the sport. Not winning was what drove me to get better.

So why compete when you know you can’t win? Here are my five reasons for why you must compete.

1. You will push your perceived limits farther then you ever thought you could. Whether it is the external pressure of the competition or the energy in the room, you will always push harder than you think you can when people are watching and you know your score counts. I have seen many people set PRs (Personal Records) during a competition. Just this past weekend, I coached CrossFit RE member Abbey Moon at the Washington State Powerlifting Championship, and watched as she bench-pressed more weight than she has ever done in practice. It was because people were watching her, there was energy in the room, and she knew it was for an American record.

2. Competition is a good way to take a snapshot of where you are right now. It gives you a concrete result that you can test against at any point in the future. Blood testing is another good example: Say you get your results and see you are low in vitamin D. You take vitamin D supplements, go back and retest 6 months later, and are able to compare and measure against your previous results. If you never did the initial test, you would have no way to gauge your progress. Competition is testing, practicing, and retesting. No matter the type of competition, it allows you to say “this is where I am with this particular thing right now.” In the case of CrossFit, the Open is a great way to check in year after year to see if you are getting stronger, faster, and better at this whole fitness thing.

3. It’s a whole hell of a lot of fun. The camaraderie that forms with a group of people who are competing is even deeper than with a group of people who just happen to be doing the same thing side-by-side. You will form bonds with other competitors, and the best time you’ll ever have is going out for beers together to celebrate the end of a competition. There is a chemical release in your brain of endorphins (your feel-good, happy hormone) after the completion of a hard workout, and it’s even more intense when you are surrounded by the smiling faces of people who did it with you or cheered you on. There is no better feeling.

4. The sport is in the competition, not the practice. Soccer games make the sport. Soccer practice is done in order to play the game well. If you enjoy practicing a sport, you must compete. No one enjoys playing soccer, but is ok with just going to practice. (Even you intramural athletes!) At some point you have to throw your hat in the ring. If all you ever do is practice, but never compete, then you can’t say you are player of that sport; you are merely a fan.

5. Not winning might just be what you need to kick it into high gear and train to win the next time. Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school basketball team the first year he tried out. But that was just the catalyst he needed to become the best. Richard Sherman was drafted in the 5th round of the NFL draft and is now the best corner in the game. Always striving to be better is what this whole thing is about. What I’m saying is that not winning might be the best thing that has ever happened to you.

I ended my last post with a saying: everyday better. Notice it doesn’t say “everyday best.” That’s an important distinction. Trying to be the best at something may be too much to bite off at once. I’m not saying that you should never try to be the best; but for most of us, being the best isn’t in the cards for us today, tomorrow, or even a year from now. But will you be better at the end of today? The end of tomorrow? A year from now? Damn straight.

When I was a kid growing up, all my friends used to skateboard and inline skate (I grew up in the 80s and 90s when rollerblading was cool), and while I did those things, I wasn’t very good at them. What it really came down to was the fact that I was scared of falling — I hated it. Who likes to wipe out on pavement? No one, that’s who. But there was this huge hill one street away from my parent’s house that was not just steep; it was STEEP (Queen Anne hill in Seattle steep). And all my friends could ride their boards from the top all the way down. I could not. I was too scared of falling off going that fast, and for good reason, as I was pretty sure I would die. I couldn’t even ride my skateboard down my own driveway, which wasn’t even half as steep. I was a total wimp.

One day my dad saw me all padded up (knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, shin guards, and helmet) standing at the top of the driveway, and he could see the look of determination in my eyes. He came over, grabbed my skateboard and walked me to the bottom of the driveway (12 inches from the bottom, to be exact) and asked, “Can you start here?” I thought it was a joke. “Of course,” I said and proceeded to show him. He made me do it five times from the exact same spot. Then he moved my skateboard up the hill 12 more inches. “How about here?” he asked. Once again he made me do it five times. And so went my afternoon; skateboarding down the driveway, 12 inches at a time. Within a few hours I was cruising down the entire driveway feeing completely comfortable. The next day I was so excited I decided to put the same theory into practice on the BIG hill. I told myself that I would move my skateboard up the hill 12 inches at a time and keep it at that height until I felt comfortable. Two weeks later I was bombing the hill with my friends.

That is what being “everyday better” is all about. It’s about focusing on the small things you can do right now. Don’t look at the top of the hill where things seem impossible, but start where you are comfortable and move up 12 inches at a time. When I started working out and attempted my run to the end of the block, I grabbed a stick and marked how far I got. Everyday my goal was to run farther than the stick and then move it to mark my new PR. Some days I didn’t make it to the stick, some days I only passed it by a foot or two, and some days I crushed it and would run 10 feet past the stick. But eventually that stick was really far away from where I started.

There are so many ways we can practice being everyday better. We can park farther away when we go grocery shopping, take the stairs instead of the escalator, grab a bag of nuts instead of chips when we’re at the convenience store, or try something new that we’re a little bit scared about. (It doesn’t apply to health and fitness alone. Have you been wanting to learn how to paint? Get your real estate license? Start a business? Twelve inches at a time. Everyday better.)

The fun part is that if you start making choices to improve yourself, it will absolutely rub off on your friends, your coworkers, your spouse, and even your kids. When it comes to your health, if you’re not practicing this already or you need help getting started, I am launching the Everyday Better Project.

(The Everyday Better Project is intended for people new to working out.)

That is, I don’t care what your specific goal is, because all goals are good. My journey toward owning a gym in South Seattle is one of many small goals linked together. Some accomplished, some missed, but all attempted. A goal with action points is better than the loftiest of goals that is never acted upon.

I was a fat kid. I was never taught about food growing up. I remember my mom asking the lady at Lamonts for the “husky”boys section so we could find jeans for me. I remember my parents bragging about me being a “healthy”boy growing up and me assuming that that is how I would always be. I can’t tell you how many times I told myself growing up that “I am just a bigger guy; this is how I am built.” I continued to tell myself that into adulthood, which prevented me from giving any thought to what I ate or to my lack of physical activity. As my waistline grew I found comfort in food and in making fun of the way I ate. I became the fat, jolly bartender at my work, routinely eating a whole pizza by myself multiple nights in a row. I remember feeling lonely and and depressed when I was by myself, so I found ways to constantly surround myself with people. (Anyone who knew me from high school or the following several years will tell you that I always strived to be the life of the party.) I also found comfort in food when I faced the stresses of starting my first business at age 19. I was living at home with my parents, who always had food out. I was constantly stressed, so I constantly ate. I went from about 220 pounds to 300 pounds between the ages of 19 and 26.

I still remember it like it was yesterday. I woke up the day after my 26th birthday and I couldn’tsee my ankles when I rolled out of bed. I sat there and stared at my feet for what must have been 20 minutes. I couldn’t believe it. Then the thought crossed my mind: “What if I am not a big guy? What if my body wasn’t meant to be this way?” So that day I went out and bought a pair of running shoes at Costco. My goal was to run to the end of my block and back. I only made it one way, and walked back home defeated — and I was SO FUCKING SORE. But I started. I also bought a Men’s Health magazine to get a sense of what I should and shouldn’t be eating. (Looking back, that’s probably not the best resource for nutrition, but every step forward counts.) My biggest goal was to look better and feel proud about how I looked, but inside that big goal I had smaller goals. I wanted to be able to run around the block; I wanted to be able to do a push up; I wanted to be able to make it to the top of the stairs in my house without being out of breath. I needed these smaller goals to propel me forward on my way to looking better, buying new clothes, and feeling good about my body for the first time ever.

Fast forward six months: I continued to run everyday, ate meals from Men’s Heath, and even got a membership at Bally’s gym. I tried to do something active everyday. That was my workout plan: do something active. The real motivation came when people started to notice changes. Nothing felt better then when someone told me how good I was looking. Here I was, this lifelong “fat guy” who might as well have been invisible to women, and all of a sudden they were starting to take notice.

After that first six months, I had dropped 100 pounds. That was a huge milestone for me — I had reached my goal. The problem was that I hadn’t made any goals beyond that, so I stopped my regimen. And so began my more recent history of roller-coaster dieting and rapidly fluctuating weight. After reaching my initial goal, I quickly put back on about 40 pounds. So I went on the Atkins diet and got back into my workout routine. I once again dropped a bunch of weight and at age 29 I reached my goal weight of 180 pounds. This time I knew I had to find something to keep me motivated to keep the weight off. Since I was already running, I decided it wouldn’t be hard to add a bike into the mix and teach myself to swim. I became a triathlete. I signed up for my first race and started training. My next goal was to complete my first triathlon.

I trained as a triathlete for the better part of two years, and at first I loved the challenge of the race and the competition it provided. But soon training became more of a burden than a joy. It took a huge chunk of time; it was lonely; and during the winter months, the cold was miserable. But I pushed myself through four races, including a half ironman.

It was during this training that I realized I didn’t want to be a bartender anymore. I was a new person — and I loved being fit and healthy. I wanted to help other people get there, too. I made a new goal to become a triathlon coach. Well, on my way back from my one of my races, I was reading a triathlon magazine that had an article in it about CrossFit Endurance. I thought that sounded like a better way to train since the grind of long, slow brick workouts was taking its toll.

So when I got home I googled “CrossFit Endurance”and — low and behold! — SODO CrossFit Endurance was just a few miles away from our house. So I ran down to their gym one day and signed up. I had no idea that my life would change so drastically. First of all, it turns out that being able to run a triathlon does not make you strong. I was wrecked after day one. I couldn’t lift 45 pounds over my head, let alone squat properly (“What do you mean get my hips below my knees? That’s not even possible.”) I felt like everyday the coaches would show me something that my body would not let me do. The only thing I was good at was running. And although I was more sore than I had ever been, and I felt like my body was dysfunctional and weak, I LOVED CROSSFIT. I found a way to work out that fit me perfectly: CrossFit was fun, challenging, and varied, and I could do it with a group of people — all of which made it way better than the swim/bike/run workouts I had been doing. I had a new goal: to get awesome at CrossFit and help others discover this new, incredible way to work out. In short, I was hooked and I needed everyone to know about it. After coaching for a bit, I opened my first CrossFit affiliate in my garage , and the rest is history.

Ten years ago I started my health and fitness journey with a failed goal of running to the end of the block and back. That wasn’t the only goal I’ve never met, but I still believe the process of goal-setting is hugely important. Creating new goals and moving toward them is what propels us forward, if only a little.

So that’s why I don’t care what your goals are — because any goal is good. Some people want a six-pack, some want to lose weight, and some want to run to the end of the block and back. It doesn’t matter what your driving factor is, as long as it pushes you out the door on that first day. Don’t ever let someone tell you your goals are dumb. I always say “Everyday Better”and that’s what my story is about — taking action everyday to move toward your goals.

When I was pregnant, the things I missed most were intense CrossFit WODs and wine. In that order. 🙂

Thankfully, I was able to continue doing CrossFit throughout my entire pregnancy. However, for the safety of me and my baby, there were a handful of things I wasn’t allowed to do. One major thing was that I had to watch my intensity: I wasn’t supposed to get totally out of breath or raise my heart rate too much or get overheated. If you’re a CrossFitter, you can imagine how hard it might be to follow those rules! I constantly heard Darrick in the background, saying “slow down, babe” or “catch your breath.”

WOD while pregnant

Previous to my pregnancy, I had grown to love those moments of pushing my body to its limit. I realize that can sound so cliche: pushing yourself to your limit. But if you’ve ever been there, you know there’s nothing cliche about it. It feels like you want to lay down and die; like you can’t possibly keep moving; like if you even consider stopping there’s no way in hell you’ll be able to start again.

I missed this when I was pregnant and I have had a really hard time regaining that level of intensity. Part of it is that I do a lot of workouts by myself in the garage. It’s difficult to push yourself to the same level without the encouragement and competition you get from the gym. There is a reason we WOD together. Take advantage of it!

Getting back into it! Garage gym under construction. 🙂

The other part of it is just being out of the habit. When you’ve forgotten (or never experienced) the high you get after you’ve expended yourself completely, you aren’t as likely to reach for it. “So what if I take a few extra breaths here?” you think. “What’s an extra 20 seconds on my time?” Or maybe you don’t think about it at all. Maybe it’s never occurred to you to keep moving when you start to hit that wall.

Is your response to fatigue perseverance, or rest? During intense WODs, I used to always say, “Get back on it before you think you’re ready.” If you feel ready, you rested too long! (Note: this excludes strength and technique work!) I don’t think I’ll ever forget Darrick’s words to me during an Open WOD that included a ridiculous amount of burpees: “All you have to do is get to the ground.” He knew that once I hit the ground, my body would take over and complete the rep. It’s so brilliant. Nine times out of ten, our minds are what limit us, not our bodies. If you just start the movement, your body will prove to you what it’s capable of. Give it the chance to show you what it can do!

Slowly but surely, I am finding that level of intensity again, and I am so, so grateful. During a WOD last week (five rounds of deadlifts and burpees), I got a taste (for 4 minutes and 30 seconds!) of where I want to be on every WOD. On rounds two through four, I split up the burpees into two sets, giving myself exactly three breaths to recover — no more. On the last set I blasted through all 10 burpees, repeating in my head an old, familiar mantra of mine, “you’ll breathe when you’re done, you’ll breathe when you’re done…”